In fashion, I love the juxtaposition of sweet versus edgy. That’s why I pulled together this look, mixing sweet, girly classics like preppy collars, polka dots, and pink frills with edgy components.The shirt is also a little sheer, and I played that up by pairing a black tank under the nude top to add to the edgy factor.

The pleated schoolgirl skirt breaks the rules because of the high hemline and “leatherette” material.

I’ve also been obsessed with mixing prints lately, and love pairing these pointy-toe snakeskin printed shoes from C. Wonder in unexpected ways. I think they add a style statement to the look making it less “safe” by mixing it with the polka dots and pleats, and the neutral color definitely helps. Together, it all works!

The Aztec print is still going strong, especially during this cold season. I like it best when mixed in heavy knits, and fell in love with this aztec and arrow knitted long cardigan from my new favorite shopping site,Tobi.

I love the mix of neon in the sweater, and it paired perfect with one of my favorite necklaces from Beyond the Rack. The triangle stones follow the same lines you find in aztec or arrow prints.

Beauty blogger 101 – put makeup on BEFORE the pic! (oops)

I paired the look with a high top knot bun hairstyle, wrapped a cute gold hair tie around the base, and simple makeup (when I eventually put it on, lol). I kept the jewelry and rest of the outfit simple since the necklace is a statement piece, the cardigan has a bold print, and there are gold buckles on the shoes.

Speaking of shoes, these are my new favorite booties for Winter! And they are SOOO comfortable! They come in black and brown from C. Wonder.

*Style Trials Quick Tip* Signup for emails from Tobi and get a promo code emailed to you for 50% off sitewide! Their prices are really great when you use the discount (comparable to Forever 21), new styles are always 30% off for a period of time, and sometimes they have free shipping. Plus, they ALWAYS have free returns, so it makes shopping online really easy!

With the 4th of July coming up, I wanted to show you a fun, patriotic nail art tutorial! Showoff your American pride this year and try this. 🙂

Patriotic Nail Art Tutorial

Apply a base coat, then paint your nails a solid red (this color is more red than it appears in these pictures).

Use a sparkly silver to lightly paint over each ring finger (the red should still show through).

With the sparkly blue color, lightly start at the base of the nail and paint halfway up into the silver.

Remove excess polish from silver brush, so it’s pretty dry. From the top of the nail, use this brush to blend the silver back down into the blue, blurring the line for an ombre effect.

Use a white nail art pen to draw two white lines that follow the shape of your nail.

I applied the first at the very top (like a french manicure), left a space of red in-between the top and bottom stripe.

Use the white nail art pen to create a big circle in the center of your thumb….

…then pull from the center of the dot out to create a star. Mine’s a little sloppy because I was rushing, but from a distance you can’t even tell! So it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Last step! Use a q-tip soaked in nail polish remover to clean up your edges, then apply a shiny top coat.

You’re all done! Now enjoy your beautiful nails, and have a great holiday! 🙂

Also, if you’re looking for outfit inspiration for the 4th, make sure to checkout this vintage American look I put together last year. I recommend picking one patriotic thing, and working neutrals around that so as not to go overboard. 🙂

Spring is here, and that means pastels and candy colors are sweetening up the stores! Try mixing candy colors/pastels with a snakeskin print accessory (or piece of clothing) to balance out the sweetness a bit. Limit it to one snakeskin printed item per outfit so you don’t overkill it.

I especially like this look mixed with coral, mint green, pale blues, lavender, or even lace texture! Here’s the Style Trials inspiration board:

Pastel nails of course are still really popular too, and tend to look great on all skin tones.

This style combo is a fresh take for Spring, and especially for upcoming Easter. But remember, you don’t want to look like an Easter egg, so limit yourself to a few key pieces, mix in some neutrals (nude, white, black, and/or metallics), and toughen it up with a print like snakeskin.

I’ve had lots of people say to me, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear the same outfit twice!” Well, I definitely do, but I have little tricks to help. One of the ways you can make your wardrobe appear endless is by styling things differently. For example, you can completely change the look of an outfit by adding tights and leggings, especially if they are a cool color/texture. It’s literally style made easy!

So you can imagine my excitement when I received a pair of No nonsense tights and leggingsto try out. They surprised me with a pair of jean leggings (a.k.a jeggings) and opaque citron colored tights.

One of my favorite things is that No nonsense tights and leggings can be found in places like food and drug stores, so you can quickly pick something up without having to do a big shopping trip (although they are also sold in major retail stores). I put together a casual outfit and a dressier outfit for each item to show how you can completely change a look. Check it out….

No nonsense Denim Leggings

My thoughts on the jean leggings were that they are super soft and comfy. Although the size I received was a little big (I like my leggings really fitted), these definitely still worked and I was happy to see they were long enough to fit my 5’7″ frame. The length was actually perfect because as you can see, I could wear them with heels or boots. The denim color was also great and had a nice sheen that could be dressed up or down. They had a mid-rise sitting right below my belly button, and I liked how they didn’t cut me off at the waist like some other leggings (nobody wants the dreaded “muffin top!”).

One last thing is that I typically only wear leggings with long shirts, but I wanted to go “jean on jean” with my casual outfit, which happened to be a shorter shirt. I think it works because these leggings are actually pretty thick, so they kinda look like jeans without pockets. They’ don’t go “see through” when you bend down and such, so in my opinion they’re more flattering than thin leggings which can cheapen a look.

No nonsense Tights

Ahh, what can I say…I love me a good pair of opaque tights! This color was so unique and something I probably wouldn’t have picked out myself, but I ended up really liking it because it’s so bold! I loved that the tights were really opaque and again, SUPER soft and warm. Like, “you’ve gotta feel ’em” soft.

I also loved that I could take my Summer clothes like shorts, and make them Wintery by adding these punchy tights. There’s also a bit of a control top which is nice, and the Medium was perfect for my height.

For additional style points, try keeping the rest of the outfit neutral and adding one other colorful accessory to compliment the colorful tights. Like a bright lip, bracelet, purse, or heels!

Did you know that fashion expert Jill Martin is a style Ambassador for No nonsense? Checkout this fun video for more information and additional tight/legging colors!

I keep in touch with No nonsense on Facebook and Twitter, so make sure to follow along. I love that No nonsense can really add affordable, modern style to your wardrobe!

Which of my looks above do you like best? Have you or will you try No nonsense tights or leggings? Leave me a comment and let me know! 🙂

Hello Style Trialers! As I’m sure you can imagine, I have been busy, busy catching up and unpacking at the new house. Not to mention the holidays! But that hasn’t stopped me. I have been Style Trialing along the way, and have a lot of great posts ready for you! Including a lot more OOTDs meant for inspiration.

This OOTD is all about prints and pattern. I have always loved prints in fashion and interior design, especially mixing patterns. Some great complimentary patterns include a free flowing type of design (i.e. floral, damask, etc) with a geometric uniform pattern (i.e. stripes, polka dots, chevron, etc), or pairing a large print with a similar mini print. While I admit mixing print on print can be a little more difficult in fashion, you can still achieve a fashion forward look by mixing a bold printed bottom with a solid or textured top.

Printed pants or patterned leggings are really trendy right now. Because I love trying new things and taking fashion risks, I wanted to find a pair that wouldn’t break the bank. I found a cool pair of patterned jeans at Forever 21, where they had a slew of printed pants under $25!

The only annoying thing about printed pants/leggings is that because it’s so eye-catching, you can’t wear them on a regular basis like a normal pair of jeans. I’ve learned sometimes you just have to give in – fashion can’t always be practical (and often isn’t)! Find an inexpensive pair of patterned pants, and make the outfit different by pairing with various tops. This could be a different shirt color, texture, or even (*gasp*) attempting the print on print look.

For example, you can see I gave my outfit more of a funky vibe by pairing it with an over-sized sweater and motorcycle boots. However, I could easily make this a dressier outfit if I paired it with heels (maybe even bright colored heels, hmmmm) and a different top. The styling with these bottoms really is endless, so you can definitely wear them multiple times making the outfit look different.

Do you have a pair of printed pants or leggings? Would you try this look?

I’ve come across fashion challenges like “what kind of bra do I wear with this weird cutout dress thingy,” and have figured out the best up-top solutions to common girl problems. Why? Because wearing the wrong bra can put a damper on your entire outfit, but wearing the correct bra will make the outfit seamless. Now I’m not knocking the exposed bra as a trend, because if you’re trying to make a statement like Carrie Bradshaw on Sex & the City, then do just that. And I do like the sheer top with exposed bra trend, but that’s obviously on purpose so it’s not the same.

Photo rights: style.catalogs.com

If you’re not attempting to expose your straps on purpose and it doesn’t enhance the outfit, then it’s just comes off as sloppy. Here’s the most common fashion challenges and fixes to avoid a fashion faux pas.

Challenge 1: The Thin White T-Shirt

The Bra Fix

In thin shirts (even if it’s white), a white bra can stand out just as bad as a bright colored one. The trick is to get the bra in a nude color that closely matches your skin tone, and it will blend seamlessly especially when you wear white. Some places, like Victoria’s Secret, carry bras in multiple nude colors so you can get a close match.

The other part to this is having just a basic, seamless bra with no bells and whistles. You don’t want lace, patterns, or other embellishments (at least not on the cups) because that will show through and it will look like you have lumpy boobs. ThisVS Showstopper Demi Bra is a great example of what to wear, and I especially like the satiny fabric. Cotton bras tend to cling to your shirt, so when wearing a thin t-shirt I’ve found it’s better with a slick bra to avoid the cling.

Challenge 2: Exposed Back and Cutouts

Photo Credit: http://www.stylelist.com/

Photo Credit: http://beadslaceandshoes.onsugar.com/

The Bra Fix

I fondly call this backless Ultralite Nubra my “sticky boobs.” They have an adhesive that sticks to your skin without leaving any residue, and can be reused several times. You can even wash it lightly and it will stay sticky for more uses, until it eventually wears out.

The Nubra comes in nude and black, and works for a ton of tricky fashion situations. This has helped me with backless shirts/dresses, sheer or lace backed tops, and outfits with interesting cutouts. I do want to advise not to wear it instances where you’ll be really sweaty for a long period of time. I live in Florida, and found in those situations the “sticky boobs” turn into “slippery boobs.”

Challenge 3: Taking the Plunge

The Bra Fix

Love the plunge neckline but scared “the girls” will fall out? These tools will help prevent a potentially embarrassing situation. Since you can’t wear a normal bra or even Nubra because of the front plunge, you can use Braza Silicone Gel Petals . They just adhere to that area to help smooth things out so it doesn’t look like you’re bra-less. The other key tool is Hollywood Fashion Tape. You can usefashion tape for lots of things, and it’s basically double sided sticky tape that works with most fabric. Just tape the inside of the neckline and secure the fabric to your skin. Viola! No slippage there. With this combination of fashion tools, you will be well equipped to take the plunge.